Friends of the Library and the Bookstore Get Books into the Hands of 3rd Graders

As summer vacation unfurls before students, Cascade School District third graders each have a brand new book to read between bike rides, video games and other relaxing fun.

On June 10^th, the last day of school at Alpine Lakes Elementary, students returned briefly to pick up leftover supplies and say goodbye to teachers, and that’s when they received a book of their choice.

Over a hundred such books were given away.

Jan Gould, a member of Friends of the Library (FOL), a nonprofit associated with the Leavenworth Public Library, coordinated this project, working with teachers and Stephen Sharpe, co-owner of A Book for All Seasons.

The project began when Sharpe gave the teachers a list of potential books, including classics such as authors Roald Dahl and Beverly Cleary and popular current titles like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and Judy Moody books. The teachers turned the list into a survey and sent it via email to their students.

“I’ve been amazed at how diligently the teachers worked to ensure that their third graders would receive our gift books this year, even as they were learning new ways to conduct their classes,” said Gould.

Gould was particularly impressed with Sharpe’s dedication to the project. “As soon as I contacted him, he started problem-solving.” 

Once the children made their selections, there was more work to be done. “Stephen contacted numerous book publishers to learn if the books requested were available and could arrive by early June,” Gould explained. “When books were not available, he contacted other sources. He even identified substitutions for the teachers to consider. Stephen worked tirelessly to help make the project a success.”

FOL did not forget the other third graders in the area who attend Beaver Valley School (BVS) in Plain and the Upper Valley Christian School (UVCS). Books were mailed to BVS, and Sharpe hand-delivered books to UVCS.

All the books were paid for out of funds from the FOL used book sale that happens every September as well as their sale shelf of used books located inside the Leavenworth library.

COVID-19 and school closures made this annual book give-away more complicated, but FOL, A Book for All Seasons and the teachers didn’t let that deter them.

Now more than ever, these students need the excitement of reading their favorite author because the public libraries are still closed, and the children have just survived months of primarily online learning. To get lost in the pages of a hand-held book can kindle the love of reading, whether for adventure stories that feed the imagination or nonfiction that teaches about how things work or about the complexities of the natural world.

Thanks to the collective effort of caring adults, these books are big gifts in small packages.